From Chef Oonagh Williams of Royal Temptations Catering

This started as a tropical waffle based on a menu line item description, then evolved into Tropical Bread Pudding with coconut, pecans and chocolate with caramel (+ rum) sauce.

This recipe is very easy for Dad to prepare and then bake with the kids. This quantity is for a small Pyrex casserole dish of 2 cup capacity, 2 people portion. Four times the recipe fits an 8×8 Pyrex dish.

I am very partial to a bread pudding for Sunday breakfast. I like to mix the bread pudding ingredients in a glass bowl/jug, cover and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, spray baking dish and then pour in ingredients. This makes it far easier to clean dish. We find that this is delicious even with fat-free milk and egg substitute, such a huge saving in calories and still very enjoyable to eat.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 of an Udi’s plain bagel or about 2 oz. of gluten-free Portugese sweet bread, challah or brioche. Cut into cubes about 1/2-1 inch square (I have tried making this with regular gluten-free hamburger rolls and we agreed it was too mushy.)
• 1/2 cup (120 ml, 4 fl. oz.) cream or half and half or even fat-free (I’ve only substituted almond milk for milk and the coconut creamer for cream substitutes)
• 1/4 cup (60 ml, 2 fl. oz.) liquid egg substitute or 1 large egg
• 1/2 tsp. (3 ml) gluten-free vanilla extract (I use Costco’s labeled gluten-free)
• Pinch of salt
• 1 Tbsp. (15 ml) sugar or more to taste
• 2 Tbsp. (30 ml) gluten-free mini semi sweet chocolate chips (I seem to get more chocolate flavor from mini chips rather than regular size.)
• 2 Tbsp. (30 ml) flaked, sweetened coconut
• 2 Tbsp. (30 ml) chopped pecans or other nuts

Directions:

1. Stir vanilla, pinch of salt and sugar into milk so sugar starts dissolving.
2. Mix bread cubes, and chocolate together in greased, small pyrex casserole of 2 cup capacity
3. Pour over milk mixture and allow to stand for about 10 minutes (or covered overnight in fridge) for bread to absorb liquid. Add coconut and pecans to egg milk mixture before cooking. Sprinkle very lightly with sugar for a crustier top.
4. Stand on a cookie sheet or a skillet (easier to clean sloshing liquid). Bake in preheated 350* oven for about 45 minutes. The bread pudding should rise like a cake, be light golden brown on top but still wobble. The middle should not have any ‘free’ liquid sloshing around but should still look moist.
5. Remove from oven, and serve with warm caramel sauce, fresh mango, strawberries. Real chocolate sauce was also good with this. Bread pudding becomes very firm when cold.

Alternative Ideas:

1. Use a caramel sauce to finish (add some rum or amaretto for Mom, not the kids). There are some very good caramel sauces available, labeled gluten-free, but not dairy-free.
2. Fresh mango cubed or other fruit. I have even arranged frozen raspberries on top of cooked bread pudding and the heat thawed raspberries without them collapsing.